From a Maryland Jockey Club release
Trainer Chris Grove won the $75,000 Geisha Stakes for the fifth time, this time with Lewis Family Racing Stable’s Celtic Katie, who beat Maryland-bred filly and mares this afternoon at Pimlico Race Course.
Celtic Katie was winning her first lifetime stakes after finishing second in both the Nellie Morse and Conniver Stakes at Laurel Park earlier this year. This afternoon, the 5-year-old bay mare and jockey Javier Santiago tracked the speed of Brenda’s Way and Addison Run before taking a path inside of both, grabbing the lead a furlong from home and winning off by 5-1/4 lengths. Brenda’s Way held on for second. Addison Run finished third.
“The trainer told me to try to follow the leader and try to keep her back a bit but not to fight her,” Santiago said. “That can be hard. It depends on the horse. If the horse helps you it’s okay. Today, she just waited until I asked and when I asked she went well. I saw an opening between the turn and the quarter pole. I decided to stay on the inside and she just ran up the rail. It went just the way we hoped it would.”
The winner completed the mile and one sixteenth distance in 1:46.67 over the fast main track and paid $12. The daughter of Posse improved to four-of-20 lifetime with earnings of $198,835. Grove previously won the Geisha with Silmaril (2004), Lexi Star (2007-08) and Princess Nyla (2009).
“This is a filly I have always rooted for. She is a great big, good looking filly,” Grove said. “The Maryland-bred program has been very good to me.”
